Suicide was an American electronic protopunk musical duo, intermittently active from 1970 to 2016 and composed of vocalist Alan Vega and Martin Rev. They were an early synthesizer/vocal musical duo.

In contrast to the skyscraper, Tudor architecture is a distinctly British style which evokes memories of the distant past.

The George Cross is the second-most-senior decoration awarded by the British Sovereign, behind its counterpart the Victoria Cross. Both are for acts of bravery in the face of extreme danger; the only difference is that serving military personnel are eligible for the VC while civilians are eligible for the GC. The George Cross was awarded to a large number of people during The Blitz, when George VI first commissioned it; he thought it prudent to recognise the bravery of civilians, especially firefighters. This has led to some seeing the GC as a representation of the very British ‘Spirit of the Blitz’ attitude, hence its place in this song.

It famously leans, but doesn’t collapse…yet.

Likely another pop culture allusion to The Contours' “Do you love me?”

Do you love me?
Now that I can dance?
Watch me now!*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju_s8cBv1dA

This is the first of many allusions to pop music within Smith’s protopunk. Wilson’s Picket’s lyric is repeated several times below in the voices of Smith’s co-workers at the factory. Their parroting of popular song lyrics underscores the unthinking nature of their labor in for the industrial system.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsjFi4KkOZc

Read the annotated lyrics here

Tosh was on extremely bad terms with EMI, hence the language. Bombaclat is a strong term of abuse. Clat, or cloth, used as protection against, or wiping, “unclean” bodily excretions.